OTDIH - Novemeber 26th

November 26th, 1911 -  My Great-Grandparents, Elijha Claude Bruce and Nettie Belle Howerton were married.

He applied for and was granted a license to marry on November 25th by County Judge, W.B.M. Mitchell, and Deputy Clerk of the County Court, J. L. Jordan. He claims his age to be 21 and hers to be 18. Both residing in Maysville, Oklahoma. 

The following day they were married by Justice of the Peace, J. F. Fisher in Maysville. Garvin, Oklahoma, USA. Witnesses to the marriage were Mr. H. F. Fisher and Mr. Henry Taylor. 

The Certificate of Marriage was filed on 18th December 1911 by J.L. Jordan.

You may notice a couple of details are off on these images. For one Nettie's surname appears to be Howard and not Howerton. I have seen Howerton spelt in many different ways. It could be how great-grandpa pronounced it when he gave the information. And subsequently how the clerk heard the name. 

Both of them are a bit older then they actually were. Elijha Claude was born in March of 1893 and would only be 18 at the time of their marriage. And Nettie was born in April of 1894 and would be a few months short of her 18th birthday. I believe, but have not been able to confirm, that Oklahoma marriage laws required that the groom be at least 21 years of age and the bride at least 18 years of age for them to wed without parental consent. 

Here are a few reasons why I am confident that this is the correct marriage record for them:

1. Great-Grandma always said she was married around Thanksgiving, which in the USA in 1911 was on November 30th. 
2. Nettie and her family were in Wayne, McClain County, Oklahoma in 1910. Wayne is less then 10 miles(as the crow flies) North-East of Maysville. 
3. Their oldest son was born in Maysville a little over a year later.
4. There are no other records for an E.C. Bruce or Nettie Howard of the right age.

Here is a photo of them a few decades later. 

OTDIH - November 22nd

November 22nd, 1850 - My 2nd Great-Grandfather was born in Ontario, Canada. Probably in York  County. This date comes from the 1901 Census of Canada. 

His parents were George Winfield and Catherine Stevenson. 

OTDIH - November 9th

November 9th, 1903 - The marriage of my Great-Grandparents, John Franklin Grant and Lottie Helena Warner, at her home in Newington, United Counties of Stormont Dundas Glengarry, Ontario, Canada. 

He was 24, a bachelor and a farmer. She was 25 and a spinster. They were both residents of Osnabruck Township, United Counties of Stormont Dundas Glengarry. It is also where they were both born. 

He was a Presbyterian and she was a Baptist. They were married by license with the ceremony being performed by James Cross of Osnabruck Centre. 

Their parents are listed as John G Grant and Catherine M Cameron and John W Warner and Alice Shaver. 

Witnesses were her brother, Frank Warner, and his sister, Mary C Grant, both of Newington. 

Image clipped from FamilySearch.

Image clipped from FamilySearch.

OTDIH - November 7th

November 7th, 1762 - The birth of my 5th Great-Grandfather, Franz Otto, son of Franz Otto and Marie Elisabeth Schnell. Born in Schoharie County, New York, USA. 

You can view an image of the original birth record, written by his father in German, on the Memories page of his FamilySearch profile, here. A translation was done in 1909 and can be view here.

OTDIH - October 26th

 October 26th, 1875 -  My 2nd Great-Grandparents, Percival Winfield and Sophia McKelvey were married in Mount Albert, York, Ontario, Canada. He was 24 years old and she was 17 years old. He was the son of John and Catherine (Stevenson) Winfield. She was the daughter of George McKelvey and Charlotte Hebner. They were both residing in Scott Township, York, Ontario, Canada. He was a farmer. John Leek and Ellen Potter, both of Mount Albert, were witnesses to the marriage performed by D. Cattenach. 

"Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927", , FamilySearch, Entry for Percival Winfield and Sophia McKelvey, 26 Oct 1875.

OTDIH = October 20th

 October 20th, 1976 - The death of my Great-Grandfather Elijha Claude Bruce at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He was residing in Surrey, British Columbia. His son C.A. Bruce was the informant. 

He had come down with pneumonia 5 days earlier after suffering left heart failure a year before.  

He was buried on October 25th, 1976 at Valley View Cemetery in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

OTDIH - October 19th

October 19th, 1869 - William Henry "Kerry" Howerton was born in Illinois, USA. He is my 2nd Great-Grandfather. I wrote about Kerry here. I am getting closer to figuring out who his parent's were but my research is needed. 

OTDIH - October 18th

 October 18th, 1866 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Clare at 8 Copenhagen Place, Limehouse, Middlesex, England. The daughter of Isaac William Clare and Jane Caroline Walker. Isaac was working as a Labourer at Galvanized Iron Works. 

Stepney Registration District, Middlesex, vol. 01C, p. 498, no. 79, birth entry of Sarah Elizabeth Clare, 18 October 1866,  photocopy of birth entry in register; General Registry Office, Southport, England. [a PDF from the GRO website]

Her mother's middle name seems to switch back and forth between Catherine and Caroline. I know from her birth record, death record,. and Sarah's and her sister Jane's baptism records it is Caroline. But on Sarah's birth record you can see it was written as Catherine. Of course, Sarah's sister is registered as Jane Catherine but baptised as Jane Caroline. I suspect this is do to some confusion with the two similar but not identical names. Either on Isaac William Clare's part or the minister's or registrant's. Unfortunately it is something that I will never actually know

OTDIH - October 16th

 October 16th, 1959 - The death of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Ada Ann Elizabeth "Dollie" (Vaughn) Howerton Jones, at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. At the time of her death she was married to James Jones (her second spouse) and was residing on Bond Street in Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Her daughter Josephine Kronebusch was the informant. 

Cause of death was cerebral arterial thrombosis, also referred to as ischemic stroke. Or in layman's terms, a blood clot in the artery of the brain. 

Other posts about Dollie can be found here and here. 

Ada Ann Elizabeth Jones, 16 Oct 1959; citing Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; British Columbia Archives film number B13244, Division of Vital Statistics, Victoria; FHL microfilm 2033301

OTDIH - October 15th

October 15th, 1832 - According to his gravestone, my 5th Great-Grandfather, George J Grant, died on this date in 1832. He was residing in what is now known as Cornwall, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada. 

October 15th, 1871 - Birth of my 2nd Great-Grandfather, Francis William Dover at 96 High Street, St. Clements, Headington, Oxfordshire, England. He was born at home to John Dover and Frances Elizabeth Dover(formerly Bricknell). His father was a builder. 

Headington Registration District, Oxfordshire, vol. 3A, p. 594, no. 375, birth entry of Francis William Dover, 15 October 1871,  photocopy of birth entry in register; General Registry Office, Southport, England. [a Digital image from the GRO website]

OTDIH - October 14th

 October 14th, 1836 - The birth of my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Isaac William Clare. He was born just a few months before England started requiring birth records in 1837 so there is no birth record for him. But I do have his baptism which the minister was kind enough to include the birthdate. 

He was baptised on the 13th November 1836 at Saint George in the East, Stepney, London, England. His parents were James and Catherine Clare. They lived on New Street in Shadwell(an area of London). James was working as a Green Grocer. 

OTDIH - October 12th

 October 12th, 1885 - My 4th Great-Grandmother, Lydia Elizabeth (Bryne) Chinn died in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA. She was 71 years old. Her date of death is carved on her gravestone which can be viewed on her Find-A-Grave memorial. I wrote about Lydia's life with her husband, John French Chinn, here. 

OTDIH - October 11th

October 11th, 1786 - At St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York, USA, my 4th Great-Grandmother, Catherina Otto was baptised. She was the daughter of Frantz Otto and Marie Barbara Papst. Sponsors of the baptism were Johan Adam Bapst and his wife. I believe the Bapst instead of Papst is a transcription error. And that they were Catherina's maternal grandparents. 

The records for St. Paul's  Evangelical Lutheran Church were transcribed by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in 1914. The book was then scanned by The Genealogy Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. And is now available on the FamilySearch website. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

This postcard was sent to my great-grandmother, Pearl Winfield, in (if I'm reading the postmark right) 1908. I'm not sure who sent it to her. The name Widil does not ring any bells. If it is a name at all.

You may notice that the postcard shows November and not October. Until 1957 Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a set date. Each year the government would declare a day for Thanksgiving sometime in October or November. The day for General Thanksgiving was Monday, November 9th in 1908. The proclamation appeared in the October 24th and October 31st Regular Issues of the Canadian Gazette. 

OTDIH - October 9th

October 9th, 1834 - Lucretia (Gaines) Bruce, my 5th Great-Grandmother, died on this day in Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee, USA. This is according to her Find-A-Grave Memorial and her gravestone. 

October 9th, 1947 - The death of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth (Clare) Dover in York Township, York County, Ontario, Canada. She was residing at 51 Chryessa Ave and was 80 years, 11 months, and 20 days old. 

OTDIH - October 8th

October 8th, 1853 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandfather, John G. Grant in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. This date comes from the 1901 Census of Canada. The 1911 Census shows the birth month and year. And his obituary states he was born in Osnabruck. 

October 8th, 1877 - The death of my 5th Great-Grandmother, Lydia (Crabtree) Vaughn in Jefferson, Marion County, Oregon, USA. According to her gravestone she was 82 years, 11 months, and 20 days old. 

OTDIH - October 7th

Two of my 4th Great-Grandfather's died on this day. This information comes from their Find-A-Grave memorials and gravestones. 

October 7th, 1861 - The death of James G. Grant in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. He was buried in Willis Cemetery in Lunenburg, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada

October 7th, 1875 - And the death of John French Chinn in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA. He was buried in Chinn Cemetery in Independence County, Arkansas, USA. I wrote more about his life here. 

OTDIH - October 6th

October 6th, 1875 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Ada Ann Elizabeth "Dolly" Vaughn, in Spring Valley, Arkansas, USA. Daughter of Christopher Columbus Vaughn and Martha Jane Carroll. I wrote more about Dolly here.

OTDIH - October 2nd

 October 2nd, 1812 - In Cabell County, West Virginia, USA, John Vaughn and Lydia Crabtree were married. They are my 5th great-grandparents. 

The image used to be viewable on the West Virginia Culture site, here, but there appears to be a error loading it. Thankfully I saved it to my computer & have a copy. Unfortunately it is another bare bones record that lists only date and name of parties. 

Record of marriage for John Vaughn and Lydia Crabtree. October 2nd, 1812. 

OTDIH - September 28th

September 28th, 1834 - In Finch, Stormont, Ontario, Canada to John Link and Mary Cameron the birth of a daughter, Catherine Link. This is according to the 1901 Canadian Census. There is no way of knowing who provided the information. But it would have been someone close to her. Possibly even her. 

And speaking of someone close to her...

September 28th, 1875 - The marriage of Catherine Marie Cameron and John Gordon Grant took place in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. He, the son of George Grant and Margaret Shaver was 21 years old and residing in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. She, the daughter of Alex Cameron and Catherine M Link was 20 years old also residing in Osnabruck.